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A heat press machine is engineered to imprint a design or graphic on a substrate, such as a t-shirt, with the application of heat and pressure for a preset period of time. A heat press is used to permanently apply a heat transfer to a surface.

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Common transfer types are heat transfer vinyl cut with a vinyl cutter, printable heat transfer vinyl, Inkjet transfer paper, laser transfer paper, plastisol transfers, direct to film (DTF) and sublimation. Using a heat press to apply a heat transfer is a way to ensure accurate time, temperature, and pressure, which are all essential to the transfer process.